Real-time vehicle environment recognition and collision identification system

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present invention provide a system for recognizing environment of a vehicle and identifying collisions in real-time. The system is typically configured for continuously monitoring environment of an automobile via one or more components of the automobile, identifying at least one collision associated with the automobile based on monitoring the environment of the automobile, determining one or more users associated with the at least one collision, determining one or more third parties associated with the one or more users and the at least one collision, automatically establish a communication link with the one or more third party entities, and automatically transmitting a notification associated with the at least one collision to the one or more third party entities and the one or more users in real-time.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a system for recognizing vehicleenvironment and identifying collision associated with the vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Interactions between third party entities associated with users involvedin a collision is often a slow and inefficient process. Typically, thethird party entities investigate based on statements received from theusers. In some cases, the third party entities may not be able todetermine a cause of the collision, thereby delaying the processcompleting the interactions. As such, there exists a need for a systemto improve the efficiency of completing the interactions.

SUMMARY

The following presents a simplified summary of the present disclosure inorder to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the invention.This summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is notintended to identify key or critical elements of the invention or todelineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merelypresents some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as aprelude to the more detailed description provided below.

Embodiments of the present invention address the above needs and/orachieve other advantages by providing apparatuses (e.g., a system,computer program product and/or other devices) and methods forrecognizing vehicle environment and identifying collisions. Theinvention continuously monitors environment of an automobile via one ormore components of the automobile, identifies at least one collisionassociated with the automobile based on monitoring the environment ofthe automobile, determines one or more users associated with the atleast one collision, determines one or more third parties associatedwith the one or more users and the at least one collision, automaticallyestablishes a communication link with the one or more third partyentities, and automatically transmits a notification associated with theat least one collision to the one or more third party entities and theone or more users in real-time.

In some embodiments, the present invention continuously storesinformation determined by the one or more components of the automobile.

In some embodiments, the present invention in response to identifying atleast one collision, retrieves the information determined by the one ormore components during a time period associated with the at least onecollision, determines cause of the at least one collision based on theretrieved information associated with the one or more components,generates a claim for the at least one collision, wherein the claimcomprises the cause of the at least one collision, and transmits theclaim to the one or more third party entities in real-time.

In some embodiments, the present invention in response to transmittingthe claim to the one or more third party entities, automaticallytransfers resources from a resource pool of a user of the automobile toat least one other resource pool of the one or more third party entitiesbased on the determined cause of the at least one collision.

In some embodiments, the one or more components comprise at least one ofone or more sensors, one or more lasers, one or more cameras, and speedmonitoring systems.

In some embodiments, the acceleration of the automobile is greater thanzero.

In some embodiments, the acceleration of the automobile is equal tozero.

In some embodiments, the automobile is an autonomous automobile.

In some embodiments, the one or more third party entities comprise atleast one of authorities, emergency responders, and insurance entities,

In some embodiments, the present invention in response to determiningthe at least one collision, automatically controls at least one of theone or more components of the automobile.

The features, functions, and advantages that have been discussed may beachieved independently in various embodiments of the present inventionor may be combined with yet other embodiments, further details of whichcan be seen with reference to the following description and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Having thus described embodiments of the invention in general terms,reference will be made to the accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 presents an automobile environment recognition and collisionidentification system environment, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 2 presents a block diagram illustrating a smart computing device,in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 presents a block diagram illustrating an automobile, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 presents a block diagram illustrating an environment recognitionand collision identification system, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention;

FIG. 5A presents a process flow for recognizing vehicle environment andidentifying at least one collision, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 5B presents a continuation of process flow for recognizing vehicleenvironment and identifying at least one collision, in accordance withan embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention now may be described more fullyhereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some,but not all, embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, theinvention may be embodied in many different forms and should not beconstrued as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, theseembodiments are provided so that this disclosure may satisfy applicablelegal requirements. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

In some embodiments, a “financial institution” as used herein mayinclude commercial banks, thrifts, federal and state savings banks,savings and loan associations, credit unions, investment companies,insurance companies and the like. In some embodiments, the financialinstitution may allow a customer to establish an account with thefinancial institution. An “account” or “resource pool” may be therelationship that the customer has with the financial institution.Examples of accounts include a deposit account, such as a transactionalaccount (e.g. a banking account), a savings account, an investmentaccount, a money market account, a time deposit, a demand deposit, apre-paid account, a credit account, a non-monetary customer profile thatincludes only personal information associated with the customer, or thelike. An account may be associated with and/or maintained by a financialinstitution.

An entity may be any person or organization. In some embodiments, theterm “third party entity” as used herein may be insurance companies,emergency responders, authorities, and or the like. The third partyentity may be any entity which is involved in providing services oroffering assistance associated vehicle collisions.

In some embodiments, a “user” may be an insurance company customer,financial institution customer (e.g., an account holder or a person whohas an account (e.g., banking account, credit account, or the like)). Insome embodiments, a “user” may be a customer of a third party entity. Inone embodiment, the user may be a driver of the vehicle, customer of afinancial institution, or a customer of a third party entity. In oneembodiment of the present invention, one or more users may include anyperson involved in a collision with a vehicle of the customer of thefinancial institution or the insurance company.

In accordance with embodiments of the invention, an “interaction” may bea transaction, transfer of funds, transfer of resources, and may referto any activities or communication between a user and a financialinstitution, between a financial institution and a third party system,activities or communication between multiple financial institutions,communication between technology application and the like. Transfer ofresources may refer to a payment, processing of funds, internationaltransfer of funds, purchase of goods or services, a return of goods orservices, a payment transaction, a credit transaction, or otherinteractions involving user's resource or account. Unless specificallylimited by the context, a “transaction”, a “transfer of funds”, a“record” may refer to any activity initiated between a user and afinancial institution or a third party system, or any combinationthereof. Typical financial transactions include point of sale (POS)transactions, automated teller machine (ATM) transactions, person toperson (p2p) transfers, internet transactions, online shopping,electronic funds transfers between accounts, transactions with afinancial institution teller, personal electronic checks, conductingpurchases using loyalty/reward points etc. When discussing the resourcetransfers or transactions are evaluated it could mean that thetransactions have already occurred, are in the process of occurring orbeing processed, or they have yet to be processed/posted by one or morefinancial institutions. In one embodiment of the present invention, theinteraction may be a transfer of resources associated with settlement ofan insurance claim between two insurance companies whose users areinvolved in a collision.

A “system environment”, as used herein, may refer to any informationtechnology platform of an enterprise (e.g., a national or multi-nationalcorporation) and may include a multitude of servers, machines,mainframes, personal computers, network devices, front and back endsystems, database system and/or the like.

FIG. 1 provides a block diagram illustrating an environment 100 anautomobile environment recognition and collision identification system.As depicted in FIG. 1, the operating environment 100 may include anenvironment recognition and collision identification system 400interacting with a smart computing device 200 and automobile system 300of a user 105, one or more third party entity systems 402, using anetwork 150 that includes an internet 151 and wireless telephone network152. In some embodiments, the environment recognition and collisionidentification system 400 may be owned by a financial institution andmaintained by a third party entity. In some embodiments, the environmentrecognition and collision identification system 400 may be owned andmaintained by the financial institution. In such an embodiment, theenvironment recognition and collision identification system 400communicates with a financial institution system to complete one or moreinteractions. In some embodiments, the environment recognition andcollision identification system 400 may be a part of an financialinstitution system (not shown) or a system operated by another entity.In alternate embodiments, the environment recognition and collisionidentification system 400 may be a part of the automobile system 300. Insome embodiments, the environment recognition and collisionidentification system 400 may be part of a smart chip which is placed inthe automobile system 300. In some embodiments, the environmentrecognition and collision identification system 400 may interact withsmart computing devices and automobiles associated with a plurality ofusers (not shown) at any given instance. The user 105 and otherplurality of users may be customers of the financial institution or thethird party entities.

The environment 100 also may include a plurality of computing devices ofthe user 105. The computing devices may include any machine, apparatus,system or the like that may be connected to and communicate with otherdevices over a network 150. The smart computing device 200 may include apersonal computer such as a desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet orany type of personal computing device that may be connected to a networkby landline or wireless access such as wireless local area network(WLAN) such as Wi-Fi based on the Institute of Electrical andElectronics Engineers' (IEEE) 802.11 standards, Bluetoothshort-wavelength UHF radio waves in the ISM band from 2.4 to 2.485 GHzor other wireless access technology.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the smart computing device 200 may be anycomputing device utilized by the user 105. In embodiments of the presentinvention, the smart computing device may be any device of the userconnected to the automobile of the user via a wired (e.g., USB port) orwireless technology (e.g., Bluetooth). The smart computing device may beany wearable device, laptop, mobile device, smart phone device, PDA,tablet, or any other mobile device. In one embodiment of the invention,there may be multiple smart computing devices, wherein the multiplesmart computing devices may be a mobile telephone and a smart watch.Other types of smart computing devices 200 may include portable digitalassistants (PDAs), pagers, tablets, mobile televisions, gaming devices,laptop computers, cameras, video recorders, audio/video player, radio,Global Positioning Systems (GPS) devices, or any combination of theaforementioned. In one embodiment of the present invention, the smartcomputing device 200 is a mobile device.

In some embodiments, the smart computing device 200 includes a processor210 communicably coupled to such devices as a memory 220, user outputdevices 236, user input devices 240, and a network interface 260. Thesmart computing device 200 further includes a power source 215, such asa battery, for powering various circuits and other devices that are usedto operate the smart computing device 200. Embodiments of the smartcomputing device 200 may also include a clock or other timer 250configured to determine and, in some cases, communicate actual orrelative time to the processor 210 or one or more other devices. Theprocessor 210, and other processing devices described herein, generallyinclude circuitry for implementing communication and/or logic functionsof the associated device. For example, the processor 210 may include adigital signal processor device, a microprocessor device, and variousanalog to digital converters, digital to analog converters, and/or othersupport circuits. Control and signal processing functions of the smartcomputing device 200 are allocated between these devices according totheir respective capabilities. The processor 210 thus may also includethe functionality to encode and interleave messages and data prior tomodulation and transmission. The processor 210 can additionally includean internal data modem. Further, the processor 210 may includefunctionality to operate one or more software programs, which may bestored in the memory 220. For example, the processor 210 may be capableof operating a connectivity program, such as a web browser application223. The web browser application 223 may then allow the smart computingdevice 200 to transmit and receive web content, such as, for example,location-based content and/or other web page content, according to aWireless Application Protocol (WAP), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP),and/or the like. The memory device 220 may include other applicationssuch as financial institution application 221, a user application 224,environment recognition and collision identification application 225,resource distribution application 226, authorization application 222,and/or the like. The user application 224 may be a digital walletapplication or any application that maintains virtual cards which isprovided by the financial institution system. In some embodiments, theresource distribution application 226 may be a part of the financialinstitution application 221. In some embodiments, financial institutionapplication 221 may be a mobile banking application. The environmentrecognition and collision identification application 225 interacts withthe environment recognition and collision identification system 400 toperform one or more functions. In some embodiments, the authorizationapplication 222 allows the smart computing device 200 to interact withfinancial institution systems and environment recognition and collisionidentification system 400.

The processor 210 is configured to use the network interface 260 tocommunicate with one or more other devices on the network 150. In thisregard, the network interface 260 includes an antenna 276 operativelycoupled to a transmitter 274 and a receiver 272 (together a“transceiver”). The processor 210 is configured to provide signals toand receive signals from the transmitter 274 and receiver 272,respectively. The signals may include signaling information inaccordance with the air interface standard of the applicable cellularsystem of the wireless telephone network 152. In this regard, the smartcomputing device 200 may be configured to operate with one or more airinterface standards, communication protocols, modulation types, andaccess types. By way of illustration, the smart computing device 200 maybe configured to operate in accordance with any of a number of first,second, third, and/or fourth-generation communication protocols and/orthe like. For example, the smart computing device 200 may be configuredto operate in accordance with second-generation (2G) wirelesscommunication protocols IS-136 (time division multiple access (TDMA)),GSM (global system for mobile communication), and/or IS-95 (codedivision multiple access (CDMA)), or with third-generation (3G) wirelesscommunication protocols, such as Consolidated Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem (UMTS), CDMA2000, wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and/or timedivision-synchronous CDMA (TD-SCDMA), with fourth-generation (4G)wireless communication protocols, with LTE protocols, with 3GPPprotocols and/or the like. The smart computing device 200 may also beconfigured to operate in accordance with non-cellular communicationmechanisms, such as via a wireless local area network (WLAN) or othercommunication/data networks.

The network interface 260 may also include a near field communication(NFC) interface 270. As used herein, the phrase “NFC interface”generally refers to hardware and/or software that is configured tocontactlessly and/or wirelessly send and/or receive information overrelatively short ranges (e.g., within four inches, within three feet,within fifteen feet, and the like). The NFC interface 270 may include asmart card, key card, proximity card, Bluetooth® device, radio frequencyidentification (RFID) tag and/or reader, transmitter, receiver, and/orthe like. In some embodiments, the NFC interface 270 communicatesinformation via radio, infrared (IR), and/or optical transmissions. Insome embodiments, the NFC interface 270 is configured to operate as anNFC transmitter and/or as an NFC receiver (e.g., an NFC reader). Also,it will be understood that the NFC interface 270 may be embedded, built,carried, and/or otherwise supported in and/or on the smart computingdevice 200. In some embodiments, the NFC interface 270 is not supportedin and/or on the smart computing device 200, but the NFC interface 270is otherwise operatively connected to the smart computing device 200(e.g., where the NFC interface 270 is a peripheral device plugged intothe smart computing device 200). Other apparatuses having NFC interfacesmentioned herein may be configured similarly. In some embodiments, theNFC interface 270 of the smart computing device 200 is configured tocontactlessly and/or wirelessly communicate information to and/or from acorresponding NFC interface of another apparatus (e.g., a point of sale(POS) device, an automated teller machine (ATM) or another mobile orcomputing device). In one embodiment of the present invention, the NFCinterface of the smart computing device 200 wirelessly communicatesinformation (virtual card information such as virtual card number, CVVcode, expiration date) stored in the user application 224 to perform atransaction.

As described above, the smart computing device 200 has a user interfacethat may be made up of user output devices 236 and/or user input devices240. The user output devices 236 include a display 230 (e.g., a liquidcrystal display or the like) and a speaker 232 or other audio device,which are operatively coupled to the processor 210. The user inputdevices 240, which allow the smart computing device 200 to transmitdata, may include any of a number of devices allowing the smartcomputing device 200 to transmit data, such as a keypad, keyboard,touch-screen, touchpad, microphone, mouse, joystick, other pointerdevice, button, soft key, and/or other input device(s). The userinterface may also include a camera 280, such as a digital camera.

The smart computing device 200 may also include a positioning systemdevice 275 that is configured to be used by a positioning system todetermine a location of the smart computing device 200. For example, thepositioning system device 275 may include a GPS transceiver. In someembodiments, the positioning system device 275 is at least partiallymade up of the antenna 276, transmitter 274, and receiver 272 describedabove. For example, in one embodiment, triangulation of cellular signalsmay be used to identify the approximate location of the smart computingdevice 200. In other embodiments, the positioning system device 275includes a proximity sensor or transmitter, such as an RFID tag, thatcan sense or be sensed by devices known to be located proximate alocation to determine that the smart computing device 200 is locatedproximate these known devices.

The memory 220 is operatively coupled to the processor 210. As usedherein, “memory” or “memory device” includes any computer readablemedium (as defined herein below) configured to store data, code, orother information. The memory 220 may include volatile memory, such asvolatile Random Access Memory (RAM) including a cache area for thetemporary storage of data. The memory 220 may also include non-volatilememory, which can be embedded and/or may be removable. The non-volatilememory can additionally or alternatively include an electricallyerasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or thelike. The memory 220 can store any of a number of applications whichinclude computer-executable instructions/code executed by the processor210 to implement the functions of the smart computing device 200 and/orone or more of the process/method steps described herein.

These applications also typically provide a graphical user interface(GUI) on the display 230 that allows the user 105 to communicate withthe smart computing device 200, a financial institution system and/orother devices or systems. The memory 220 can also store any of a numberof pieces of information, and data, used by the smart computing device200 and the applications and devices that make up the smart computingdevice 200 or are in communication with the smart computing device 200to implement the functions of the smart computing device 200 and/or theother systems described herein. For example, the memory 220 may includesuch data as user authentication information.

Referring now to FIG. 3, the automobile system 300 comprises one or morecomponents of an automobile. The automobile may be any wheeled motorvehicle comprising user output devices 305, user input devices 315,memory 320, positioning system device 325, camera 316, lasers 317,sensors 318, other automotive components, and a smart device 330. Insome embodiments of the present invention, the automobile 300 may be anautonomous automobile. In such an embodiment, the automobile 300 mayinclude additional components that are required for the autonomousautomobile to work effectively. In some embodiments, the automobile maybe a non-autonomous automobile with additional components like camera316, lasers 317, sensors 318, or the like to detect and monitor theenvironment of the automobile. In one embodiment, the camera 316 mayinclude a backup camera. In some embodiments, the smart device 330 maybe a smart chip. The smart chip may be a micro device in the automobile.In embodiments of the invention, the smart chip 330 is provided thefinancial institution. The smart chip 330 may be integrated into anywheeled vehicles with user input and output devices. In someembodiments, the smart chip is maintained by the financial institution.As shown in the FIG. 3, the smart chip 330 may include a networkcommunication interface 331, microprocessor 332, and memory device 333.The microprocessor 332 is configured to use the network communicationinterface 331 to communicate with one or more other devices on thenetwork 150. In this regard, the network communication interface 331 mayinclude an antenna operatively coupled to a transmitter and a receiver(together a “transceiver”). In some embodiments, the smart chip 330 mayutilize a transceiver of the automobile. The microprocessor 332 isconfigured to provide signals to and receive signals from thetransmitter and receiver, respectively. The smart chip 330 may utilizewireless network including satellite or any other wireless network ofthe automobile to provide signals and receive signals. In someembodiments, the smart chip 330 may utilize a wireless network of thesmart computing device 200, which may be connected to the automobilesystem 300, to provide signals and receive signals to perform one ormore steps in the process flows described below. The smart chip 330 maybe configured to raise certain triggers and alert the environmentrecognition and collision identification system upon occurrence on anyof one or more conditions. For example, the smart chip may identify aninput from a user via any of the user input devices and may alert thesystem. In one example, the smart chip may identify that the user hasentered a destination location via the user input devices and alerts thesystem to trigger processes. In some embodiments, the smart chip maycontinuously implement the process described herein even when theautomobile is not in use.

The network communication interface 331 may also include a near fieldcommunication (NFC) interface. The NFC interface may include a smartcard, key card, proximity card, Bluetooth® device, radio frequencyidentification (RFID) tag and/or reader, transmitter, receiver, and/orthe like. In some embodiments, the NFC interface communicatesinformation via radio, infrared (IR), and/or optical transmissions. Insome embodiments, the NFC interface is configured to operate as an NFCtransmitter and/or as an NFC receiver (e.g., an NFC reader). Also, itwill be understood that the NFC interface may be embedded, built,carried, and/or otherwise supported in and/or on the smart device 330.In some embodiments, the NFC interface is not supported in and/or on thesmart device 330, but the NFC interface is otherwise operativelyconnected to the smart device 330. For example, the smart computingdevice 200 may be connected to the network communication interface 331of the automobile system 300 and may function as the NFC interface ofthe automobile system 300. In some embodiments, the NFC interface of thesmart device 330 is configured to contactlessly and/or wirelesslycommunicate information to and/or from a corresponding NFC interface ofanother apparatus (e.g., a point of sale (POS) device, an automatedteller machine (ATM) or another mobile, remote device, third partyentity devices, or computing device). In one embodiment of the presentinvention, the NFC interface of the smart device 330 wirelesslycommunicates information (virtual card information such as virtual cardnumber, CVV code, expiration date) stored in the memory 320 of theautomobile or user application 224 of the smart computing device 200 toand/or from a corresponding NFC interface of a POS device to perform aninteraction.

The memory device 333 may include one or more applications orinformation accessed or received by the smart chip 330. The memorydevice, as shown, comprises one or more applications including a networkserver application 334, environment recognition and collisionidentification application 335, and/or the like. The network serverapplication 334 may be configured to cause the microprocessor tointeract with other components of the automobile, smart computing device200, environment recognition and collision identification system 400,third party entity system 402, and/or other device associated with thenetwork 150. The environment recognition and collision identificationapplication may be utilized to receive and communicate information tothe environment recognition and collision identification system 400 toperform one or more steps in the process flow described herein. Thesmart chip 330 may receive instructions from the environment recognitionand collision identification system to perform one or more stepsdescribed herein. In some embodiments, the smart chip 330 may receiveinformation from the environment recognition and collisionidentification system 400, the third party entity system 402 andcommunicate the information to the user 105 utilizing the user outputdevices 305 including, but not limited to, display 308 and speaker 310of the automobile 300. In some embodiments, the smart chip 330 mayreceive information from the user 105 via the user input devicesincluding, but not limited to, microphone, keypad, touchpad, and/or thelike of the automobile and communicate the information received form theuser to the environment recognition and collision identification system400, the third party entity system 402 to perform one or more steps inthe process flows described herein. In some embodiments of the presentinvention, the smart chip 330 may identify current location of theautomobile utilizing the positioning system device 325 of theautomobile. In some other embodiments, the smart chip 330 may utilizeother automotive components 328 or information available in the otherautomotive components 328 of the automobile. The automotive components,may include any body and main parts, electrical and electronics(including navigation system, gauges and meters, sensors, electricalswitches, cameras, audio/video devices, and/or the like), interiorcomponents (car seats, floor components, and/or the like), power trainand chassis, and/or the like. In some embodiments, the automobilefurther comprises a chip reader to facilitate completion of one or moreinteractions. In some embodiments, the system comprises any other builtin mechanism to facilitate completion of one or more interactions. Insome embodiments, the built in mechanism and the chip reader may beprovided by a financial institution. All or some components of theautomobile described above may be considered as an automobile system.

FIG. 4 provides a block diagram illustrating the environment recognitionand collision identification system 400, in greater detail, inaccordance with embodiments of the invention. As illustrated in FIG. 4,in one embodiment of the invention, the environment recognition andcollision identification system 400 includes one or more processingdevices 420 operatively coupled to a network communication interface 410and a memory device 450. In certain embodiments, the environmentrecognition and collision identification system 400 is operated by afinancial institution, although the environment recognition andcollision identification system 400 may be operated by another entity.In some embodiments, the environment recognition and collisionidentification system 400 is part of a system of the automobile system300, wherein the environment recognition and collision identificationsystem 400 may be embedded within any component of the automobile. Insome embodiments of the invention, the environment recognition andcollision identification system 400 is part of the smart chip 330,wherein the smart chip 330 is placed in the automobile and is a part ofthe automobile. In such an embodiment, the system establishes a directcommunication link with the automobile system. In some embodiments, theenvironment recognition and collision identification system 400 may bean independent system, wherein the environment recognition and collisionidentification system 400 communicates with the automobile to performsone or more actions described in the process flows below via the smartchip 330 of the automobile. In such an embodiment, the system 400establishes a communication link with the automobile system via thesmart chip. For example, the system 400 may communicate with user inputdevices 315, positioning device 325, other automotive components 328,and user output devices 305 via the smart chip 330. In such embodiments,the system 400 may connect with the smart computing device 200 of theuser via the smart chip 330, wherein the smart computing device 200 ispresent with the user and wherein the smart computing device 200 may beconnected with the automobile system 300. In some embodiments, the smartcomputing device 200 may not be connected with the automobile system 300via wired or wireless technology.

In one embodiment, the environment recognition and collisionidentification system 400 is part of a financial institution system. Insuch an embodiment, a resource distribution application performing theoperations of the environment recognition and collision identificationsystem 400 is stored in the entity system. In such embodiments, thesmart chip may be configured to perform one or more steps of the processflows described herein and the environment recognition and collisionidentification system monitors and controls the smart chip and providesany additional information required to perform the one or more steps. Insome embodiments, the environment recognition and collisionidentification system 400 may be a part of the smart chip 330 in theautomobile.

It should be understood that the memory device 450 may include one ormore applications and one or more databases or other datastructures/repositories. The memory device 450 also includescomputer-executable program code that instructs the processing device420 to operate the network communication interface 410 to performcertain communication functions of the environment recognition andcollision identification system 400 described herein. For example, inone embodiment of the environment recognition and collisionidentification system 400, the memory device 450 includes, but is notlimited to, a network server application 470, an environment recognitionand collision identification application 470, control application 480, adata storage application 483, artificial intelligence engine application485, resource distribution application 486, and othercomputer-executable instructions or other data. The computer-executableprogram code of the network server application 470, the environmentrecognition and collision identification application 470, the controlapplication 480, and the data storage application 483, artificialintelligence engine application 485, and resource distributionapplication 486 may instruct the processing device 420 to performcertain logic, data-processing, and data-storing functions of theenvironment recognition and collision identification system 400described herein, as well as communication functions of the environmentrecognition and collision identification system 400. In someembodiments, the memory device 450 may comprise a rules engine which maybe used by the artificial intelligence engine to perform one or moresteps of the process flow described herein.

As used herein, a “communication interface” generally includes a modem,server, transceiver, and/or other device for communicating with otherdevices on a network. The network communication interface 410 is acommunication interface having one or more communication devicesconfigured to communicate with one or more other devices on the network150, such as computing device 200. The processing device 420 isconfigured to use the network communication interface 410 to transmitand/or receive data and/or commands to and/or from the other devicesconnected to the network 150. The environment recognition and collisionidentification system 400, communicates with the smart chip 330 of theautomobile to perform various steps described herein. The environmentrecognition and collision identification system 400, communicates withthird party entity system 402 to perform various steps described herein.In some embodiments, the environment recognition and collisionidentification system 400, communicates with other systems such astraffic monitoring system, entity system, authorization systems, and/orthe like. The environment recognition and collision identificationsystem 400 also comprises an artificial intelligence engine.

Referring now to FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, the process flow 500 illustrates aprocess flow 500 for recognizing vehicle environment and identifyingcollisions. The system performs the process illustrated in FIG. 5A andFIG. 5B when the acceleration of the automobile is greater than or equalto zero. As shown in block 505, the system continuously monitorsenvironment of an automobile via one or more components of theautomobile. The system monitors the environment of the automobile byaccessing the camera, the lasers, the sensors, other automotivecomponents including gauges meters, sensors, for the like located on theautomobile 300. In some embodiments, the system may identify or trackthe path of the automobile. The system also stores the informationassociated with the camera, the lasers, the sensors, the otherautomotive components, or the like in the memory of the automobile. Insome embodiments, the system may automatically erase the storedinformation after a predetermined amount of time. For example, thesystem may erase the stored information for every twenty four hours. Insome embodiments, the system may erase only insignificant informationfrom the memory. For example, if the system identifies a collisionwithin the twenty four hour period, the system retains the dataassociated with the collision and erases other insignificantinformation.

As shown in block 510, the system identifies at least one collisionassociated with the automobile based on monitoring the environment ofthe automobile. The system identifies collisions based on theinformation accessed from the camera, the lasers, the sensors, the otherautomotive components. In some embodiments, the system may include acollision detection modules comprising instructions and set of rules torecognize the at least one collision. In some embodiments, the collisiondetection module may be present in the automobile and the systemreceives an input associated with a collision from the collisiondetection module located in the automobile. In some embodiments, thesystem in response to identifying the at least one collision, controlsat least one of the one or more components of the automobile. Forexample, the system in response to identifying the at least onecollision, automatically activates hazard lights of the vehicle.

As shown in block 515, the system determines one or more usersassociated with the at least one collision. The system determines theone or more users associated with the at least one collision based onthe information captured by the camera or similar components of theautomobile. For example, the camera of the automobile may capture aregistration plate of an automobile involved in the at least onecollision. The system may use optical character recognition technologyto identify characters and numbers on the registration plate. In someembodiments, the system may include an optical character recognitionmodule to identify the characters and numbers on the registration plate.The system may then utilize the identified characters and numbers of theregistration plate to identify the one or more users associated with theat least one collision. For example, the system may communicate withother systems to identify the one or more users associated with theregistration plate of the automobile involved in the at least onecollision.

As shown in block 520, the system determines one or more third partyentities associated with the one or more users and the at least onecollision. The one or more third party entities may be emergencyresponders, authorities, insurance agencies, or the like. The system mayidentify the one or more third party entities based on a category of theat least one collision, The system determines the category of thecollision based on the speed, level of damage, or the like associatedwith all vehicles involved in the at least one collision. The speed,level of damage may be captured by components such as the camera, thesensors, the lasers, and/or the like of the automobile. For example, thesystem may identify that the speed of one automobile is zero, the speedof at least one other automobile involved in the at least one collisionis less than ten miles per hour, and that the level of damage is verylow such as a fender bender. In such a case the system may notifyauthorities and insurance agencies but not the emergency responders. Asshown in block 525, the system in response to determining the one ormore third party entities automatically establishes a communication linkwith the one or more third party entities. As shown in block 530, thesystem automatically transmits a notification associated with the atleast one collision to the one or more third party entities and the oneor more users in real-time. For example, the system transmitsnotification to user of the automobile, second user of anotherautomobile, emergency responders, authorities, and insurance companiesof the user and the second user. In some embodiments, the system maytransfer the information captured by the components of the automobileduring the time of the at least one collision.

As shown in block 535, the system retrieves information determined bythe one or more components during a time period associated with the atleast one collision. The system retrieves the information captured bythe one or more components of the automobile during a time periodassociated with the at least one collision. The system may perform oneor more steps described in blocks 535 through 555 while notifying theone or more third party entities. As such, the system may performparallel processing to improve the efficiency of the process.

As shown in block 540, the system determines cause of the at least onecollision based on the retrieved information associated with the one ormore components. The system in response to notifying the one or morethird party entities identifies the cause of the at least one collision.The system based on the information captured by the camera, the sensors,the lasers, and the other automotive components in the automobiledetermines the cause of the at least one collision. For example, thesystem identifies that the at least one collision is a rear-endcollision and identifies that a second user of another automobile is thecause of the at least one collision based on the speeds of theautomobile and another automobile. In another example, the systemidentifies that the at least one collision is a rear-end backing upcollision and identifies that the user of the automobile is the cause ofthe at least one collision. In such an example, the system identifiesthat the speed of another automobile is zero, the speed of theautomobile is not zero, and the gear of the automobile is reverse anddetermines that the cause of the at least one collision is the user ofthe automobile. In one embodiments, the system, along with theinformation from the one or more components defined above, may utilizeGPS location of the automobile to determine the cause of the at leastone collision. For example, the collision may have occurred at anintersection. The system based on the information from the one or morecomponents and the GPS location of the automobile, performs calculationsassociated with distance and time to identify the cause of thecollision. In some embodiments, the system based on the GPS location ofthe automobile, identifies a state in which the collision has occurredand determines the cause of the collision based on associated statelaws. In some embodiments, the system considers driving history of theone or more users involved in the at least one collision. For example,the system may identify that a second user involved in the at least onecollision is a negligent driver and may perform computations based onidentifying that the second user is a negligent driver to identify thecause of the at least one collision.

As shown in block 545, the system generates a claim for the at least onecollision, wherein the claims comprises the cause of the at least onecollision. For example, the system automatically generates an insuranceclaim. The system may also estimate the damages based on the informationcaptured by the components of the automobile. As shown in block 550, thesystem transmits the claim to at least one of the one or more thirdparty entities in real-time. The system transmits the claim to all theinsurance companies associated with the users involved in the at leastone collision. In some embodiments, in addition to transmitting theclaim, the system may also communicate with third party systems toextract a police report associated with the at least one collision andmay transmit the police report to all the insurance companies associatedwith the user involved in the at least one collision.

As shown in block 555, the system automatically transfers resources froma resource pool. In one embodiment, the system identifies that the causeof the at least one collision is the user of the automobile andtransfers resources associated with the claim. The system transfers theresources from a resource pool of the user, wherein the resource poolinformation may be extracted from the user device of the user connectedto the automobile. The resource distribution application in the systemcommunicates with resource distribution application, the entityapplication, and the authorization application in the smart computingdevice of user device of the user to initiate and complete the transferof resources. The system may directly transfer the resources to aresource pool of the second user of another automobile involved in theat least one collision. In one example, the system may use NFC interfaceof the smart chip to directly transfer resources to a smart chip inanother automobile. In another example, the system may transferresources may use NFC interface of the smart chip to directly transferresources to a second user device of the second user. In anotherexample, the system may transfer resources may use cause the smartcomputing device of the user to directly transfer resources to a seconduser device of the second user. In another example, the system maytransfer resources from the resource pool of the user to a resource poolof an insurance company associated with the second user via the smartchip or the user computing device.

Although many embodiments of the present invention have just beendescribed above, the present invention may be embodied in many differentforms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments setforth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that thisdisclosure will satisfy applicable legal requirements. Also, it will beunderstood that, where possible, any of the advantages, features,functions, devices, and/or operational aspects of any of the embodimentsof the present invention described and/or contemplated herein may beincluded in any of the other embodiments of the present inventiondescribed and/or contemplated herein, and/or vice versa. In addition,where possible, any terms expressed in the singular form herein aremeant to also include the plural form and/or vice versa, unlessexplicitly stated otherwise. Accordingly, the terms “a” and/or “an”shall mean “one or more,” even though the phrase “one or more” is alsoused herein. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout.

As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art in view ofthis disclosure, the present invention may include and/or be embodied asan apparatus (including, for example, a system, machine, device,computer program product, and/or the like), as a method (including, forexample, a business method, computer-implemented process, and/or thelike), or as any combination of the foregoing. Accordingly, embodimentsof the present invention may take the form of an entirely businessmethod embodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware,resident software, micro-code, stored procedures in a database, or thelike), an entirely hardware embodiment, or an embodiment combiningbusiness method, software, and hardware aspects that may generally bereferred to herein as a “system.” Furthermore, embodiments of thepresent invention may take the form of a computer program product thatincludes a computer-readable storage medium having one or morecomputer-executable program code portions stored therein. As usedherein, a processor, which may include one or more processors, may be“configured to” perform a certain function in a variety of ways,including, for example, by having one or more general-purpose circuitsperform the function by executing one or more computer-executableprogram code portions embodied in a computer-readable medium, and/or byhaving one or more application-specific circuits perform the function.

It will be understood that any suitable computer-readable medium may beutilized. The computer-readable medium may include, but is not limitedto, a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a tangibleelectronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, and/orsemiconductor system, device, and/or other apparatus. For example, insome embodiments, the non-transitory computer-readable medium includes atangible medium such as a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, arandom access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasableprogrammable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a compact discread-only memory (CD-ROM), and/or some other tangible optical and/ormagnetic storage device. In other embodiments of the present invention,however, the computer-readable medium may be transitory, such as, forexample, a propagation signal including computer-executable program codeportions embodied therein.

One or more computer-executable program code portions for carrying outoperations of the present invention may include object-oriented,scripted, and/or unscripted programming languages, such as, for example,Java, Perl, Smalltalk, C++, SAS, SQL, Python, Objective C, JavaScript,and/or the like. In some embodiments, the one or morecomputer-executable program code portions for carrying out operations ofembodiments of the present invention are written in conventionalprocedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming languagesand/or similar programming languages. The computer program code mayalternatively or additionally be written in one or more multi-paradigmprogramming languages, such as, for example, F#.

Some embodiments of the present invention are described herein withreference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of apparatusand/or methods. It will be understood that each block included in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and/or combinations ofblocks included in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams,may be implemented by one or more computer-executable program codeportions. These one or more computer-executable program code portionsmay be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, specialpurpose computer, and/or some other programmable data processingapparatus in order to produce a particular machine, such that the one ormore computer-executable program code portions, which execute via theprocessor of the computer and/or other programmable data processingapparatus, create mechanisms for implementing the steps and/or functionsrepresented by the flowchart(s) and/or block diagram block(s).

The one or more computer-executable program code portions may be storedin a transitory and/or non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g. amemory) that can direct, instruct, and/or cause a computer and/or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the computer-executable program code portions storedin the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufactureincluding instruction mechanisms which implement the steps and/orfunctions specified in the flowchart(s) and/or block diagram block(s).

The one or more computer-executable program code portions may also beloaded onto a computer and/or other programmable data processingapparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on thecomputer and/or other programmable apparatus. In some embodiments, thisproduces a computer-implemented process such that the one or morecomputer-executable program code portions which execute on the computerand/or other programmable apparatus provide operational steps toimplement the steps specified in the flowchart(s) and/or the functionsspecified in the block diagram block(s). Alternatively,computer-implemented steps may be combined with, and/or replaced with,operator- and/or human-implemented steps in order to carry out anembodiment of the present invention.

While certain exemplary embodiments have been described and shown in theaccompanying drawings, it is to be understood that such embodiments aremerely illustrative of and not restrictive on the broad invention, andthat this invention not be limited to the specific constructions andarrangements shown and described, since various other changes,combinations, omissions, modifications and substitutions, in addition tothose set forth in the above paragraphs, are possible. Those skilled inthe art will appreciate that various adaptations, modifications, andcombinations of the just described embodiments can be configured withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, it isto be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, theinvention may be practiced other than as specifically described herein.

1. A system for vehicle environment recognition and collisionidentification, the system comprising: one or more memory devices havingcomputer readable code stored thereon; one or more processing devicesoperatively coupled to the one or more memory devices, wherein the oneor more processing devices are configured to execute the computerreadable code to: continuously monitor environment of an automobile viaone or more components of the automobile and a smart chip located in theautomobile; identify at least one collision associated with theautomobile based on monitoring the environment of the automobile;determine one or more users associated with the at least one collision,wherein the one or more users comprise a first user of the automobileand a second user of a second automobile; determine a category of the atleast one collision based on information gathered by the one or morecomponents; determine one or more third party entities associated withthe one or more users and the at least one collision based on thecategory of the at least one collision; automatically establish acommunication link with the one or more third party entities;automatically transmit a notification associated with the at least onecollision to the one or more third party entities and the one or moreusers in real-time, determine that the first user associated with theautomobile is cause of the at least one collision based on theinformation gathered by the one or more components; and in response todetermining that the first user is the cause of the at least onecollision, initiate transfer of resources, via the smart chip, from aresource pool of the first user to a second smart chip in the secondautomobile.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more processingdevices are configured to execute the computer readable code tocontinuously store the information gathered by the one or morecomponents of the automobile.
 3. The system of claim 2, wherein the oneor more processing devices are configured to execute the computerreadable code to: in response to identifying the at least one collision,retrieve the information gathered by the one or more components during atime period associated with the at least one collision; generate a claimfor the at least one collision, wherein the claim comprises the cause ofthe at least one collision; and transmit the claim to at least one ofthe one or more third party entities in real-time.
 4. (canceled)
 5. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the one or more components comprise at leastone of one or more sensors, one or more lasers, one or more cameras, andspeed monitoring systems.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the one ormore processing devices are configured to execute the computer readablecode to identify the at least one collision when acceleration of theautomobile is greater than zero.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein theone or more processing devices are configured to execute the computerreadable code to identify the at least one collision when accelerationof the automobile is equal to zero.
 8. The system of claim 1, whereinthe automobile is an autonomous automobile.
 9. The system of claim 1,wherein the one or more third party entities comprise at least one ofauthorities, emergency responders, and insurance entities.
 10. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the one or more processing devices areconfigured to execute the computer readable code to: in response todetermining the at least one collision, automatically control at leastone of the one or more components of the automobile.
 11. A computerprogram product for vehicle environment recognition and collisionidentification, the computer program product comprising a non-transitorycomputer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructionsfor causing a computer processor to perform the steps of: continuouslymonitoring environment of an automobile via one or more components ofthe automobile; identifying at least one collision associated with theautomobile based on monitoring the environment of the automobile and asmart chip located in the automobile; determining one or more usersassociated with the at least one collision, wherein the one or moreusers comprise a first user of the automobile and a second user of asecond automobile; determining a category of the at least one collisionbased on information gathered by the one or more components; determiningone or more third party entities associated with the one or more usersand the at least one collision based on the category of the at least onecollision; automatically establishing a communication link with the oneor more third party entities; automatically transmitting a notificationassociated with the at least one collision to the one or more thirdparty entities and the one or more users in real-time; determining thatthe first user associated with the automobile is cause of the at leastone collision based on the information gathered by the one or morecomponents; and in response to determining that the first user is thecause of the at least one collision, initiating transfer of resources,via the smart chip, from a resource pool of the first user to a secondsmart chip in the second automobile.
 12. The computer program product ofclaim 11, wherein the computer readable instructions further cause thecomputer processor to perform the steps of continuously storing theinformation gathered by the one or more components of the automobile.13. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the computerreadable instructions further cause the computer processor to performthe steps of: in response to identifying the at least one collision,retrieving the information gathered by the one or more components duringa time period associated with the at least one collision; generating aclaim for the at least one collision, wherein the claim comprises thecause of the at least one collision; and transmitting the claim to atleast one of the one or more third party entities in real-time. 14.(canceled)
 15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein thecomputer readable instructions further cause the computer processor toperform the step of in response to determining the at least onecollision, automatically controlling at least one of the one or morecomponents of the automobile.
 16. A computerized method of recognizingvehicle environment and identifying collisions, comprising: continuouslymonitoring environment of an automobile via one or more components ofthe automobile and a smart chip located in the automobile; identifyingat least one collision associated with the automobile based onmonitoring the environment of the automobile; determining one or moreusers associated with the at least one collision, wherein the one ormore users comprise a first user of the automobile and a second user ofa second automobile; determining a category of the at least onecollision based on information gathered by the one or more components;determining one or more third party entities associated with the one ormore users and the at least one collision based on the category of theat least one collision; automatically establishing a communication linkwith the one or more third party entities; automatically transmitting anotification associated with the at least one collision to the one ormore third party entities and the one or more users in real-time;determine that the first user associated with the automobile is cause ofthe at least one collision based on the information gathered by the oneor more components; and in response to determining that the first useris the cause of the at least one collision, initiate transfer ofresources, via the smart chip, from a resource pool of the first user toa second smart chip in the second automobile.
 17. The computerizedmethod of claim 16, wherein the method comprises continuously storingthe information gathered by the one or more components of theautomobile.
 18. The computerized method of claim 17, wherein the methodcomprises: in response to identifying the at least one collision,retrieving the information gathered by the one or more components duringa time period associated with the at least one collision; generating aclaim for the at least one collision, wherein the claim comprises thecause of the at least one collision; and transmitting the claim to atleast one of the one or more third party entities in real-time. 19.(canceled)
 20. The computerized method of claim 16, wherein the methodcomprises in response to determining the at least one collision,automatically controlling at least one of the one or more components ofthe automobile.
 21. The computer program product of claim 11, whereinthe automobile is an autonomous automobile.
 22. The computerized methodof claim 16, wherein the automobile is an autonomous automobile.
 23. Thecomputerized method of claim 16, wherein the one or more third partyentities comprise at least one of authorities, emergency responders, andinsurance entities.